7.1 Danger No 1: Denial of Central Biblical Teachings

The entire Bible bears witness that we are dealing with a source of truth authored by God.

The Bible as authoritative source of information: The entire Bible
bears witness that we are dealing with a source of truth authored
by God. The Old Testament (OT) prophets took this position
(e.g., Isa. 1:10; Jer. 7:1; and Hos. 4:6) as well as the New Testament
(NT) apostles (e.g., 2 Tim. 3:16; and 2 Pet. 1:21). H.W.
Beck concludes from archaeological researches [B1, p. 39]: “The
hypothesis of a long oral tradition and of a long evolution of
literary developmental processes is really not probable.” The
apostles not only knew the Scriptures exceedingly well, but
the deeper meanings were also disclosed to them by the Holy
Spirit. Jesus Christ revealed certain information to Paul, as a
chosen instrument of God (Gal. 1:12), and Paul confessed
unequivocally: “I believe everything that . . . is written” (Acts 24:14).
Peter affirmed that he did not follow cleverly invented
stories, but was an eyewitness (2 Pet. 1:16). The special key to
understanding Scripture is given by God’s Son himself. Jesus
states that His words will never pass away (Matt. 24:35). He
guarantees that everything that has been written will be fulfilled
(Luke 18:31). He authorized all the meaningful elements of
the text of the Bible (e.g., Luke 16:17) and confirmed that all
biblical accounts described real historical events, for example
the creation of the first human couple (Matt. 19:4–5), the
universality of the Flood and the destruction of all air-breathing
creatures (Matt. 24:38–39), and the history of Jonah (Matt. 12:40–41).
The present author discusses the authority of the
Bible more fully in [G6].

The relation between the Old and the New Testament: Many
statements of the OT are quoted in the NT, but the latter is
much more than merely a commentary on the OT. It is the
fulfillment of the OT: “These [the people of the OT] were all
commended for their faith, yet none of them received what
had been promised. God had planned something better for us”
(Heb. 11:39–40). Everything was consummated in Christ. The
OT is the indispensable “ramp” leading up to the NT, as in the
case of a motor freeway. Jesus says of the OT, “You diligently
study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess
eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me”
(John 5:39). The NT reveals many things for the first time; it
is new. The OT can only really be understood from the NT,
because the former refers to Christ. This principle was disclosed
by Jesus to the disciples on their way to Emmaus. The OT is
regarded as authoritative, right up to the requirements of the
Law fulfilled by Christ (Heb. 9:10) and the practices around
sacrifices (Heb. 10:1, (4)).

The creation account—literal or poetic: It is often said that
we cannot really understand God’s creative acts. This sounds
humble and, at first sight, even commendable. It is, however,
false, since it contradicts God’s will that we must accept His
Word in real earnest (Jer. 22:29; John 8:47; 2 Tim. 1:13). We
should rather be thankful for all the information given to us
in Genesis and numerous other passages. The reasons given
below should make it clear that the biblical creation account
should not be regarded as a myth, neither as a parable nor
allegorically, but as a report:

Biological, astronomical, and anthropological facts are given
in a didactical form.

As is customary for present-day measuring techniques, the
appropriate methods for measuring the physical time units
“day” and “year” are given (Gen. 1:14).

In the Ten Commandments, God bases the six working
days and one day of rest on the same time span as that
described in the creation account (Exod. 20:8–11).

In the NT, Jesus frequently refers to facts of creation (e.g.,
Matt. 19:4–5).

Nowhere in the Bible are there any indications that the
creation account should be understood in any other way
than as a factual report.

The doctrine of theistic evolution vehemently tries to undermine this
basic way of reading the Bible as vouched for by Jesus, the prophets,
and the apostles. Events reported in the Bible are reduced to mythical
imagery, and an understanding of the message of the Bible as being
true in word and meaning is scorned and regarded as superstitious.
H. von Ditfurth writes in the same vein [D3, p. 295–296]:

The literal meaning of the mythical imagery with which
theologians proclaim their message bears no relation to the
contents of the message. They were not even valid 2,000 years
ago, when these images came into existence as expression of
a living faith. . . . That was two millennia ago, so it doesn’t
hold for us any more. The semantic “overtones” of the cultural
matrix at the time of Christ’s birth have long since been
forgotten. At that time the mythical formulas were impressed
on the philosophy and customs of the Judaic-Roman world. . . . Today we only have the skeleton, the bare framework of
words and sentences, which fills us with respect and awe as
an echo of the time when they originated. The real meanings
and significance they once had have long since been
lost. . . . Where mythical statements are reduced to their
bare literal meaning, it becomes superstition.

Supporters of theistic evolution are found among critical theologians
and philosophers (e.g., C. Westermann, G. Altner, C.F. von Weizsäcker,
T. de Chardin) and even some evangelical authors (J. Illies, H. Rohrbach).
Views based on a direct understanding of the Bible are scornfully
regarded as “fundamentalistic” (e.g., J. Illies [I3, p. 43], H. von
Ditfurth [D3, p. 306]). Adherence to the views of theistic evolution
leads to the abandonment of central biblical teachings, and thus to
disobedience toward God. The Bible warns against this:

1 Samuel 15:23: “Because you have rejected the word of the
Lord, he has rejected you.”

Acts 13:46: “Since you reject it [the word of God] and do
not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life.”

Did God Use Evolution?

According to the view of theistic evolution, God started the process of evolution and guided and steered it over millions of years. As an information scientist, Werner Gitt critically analyzes and rejects the assumptions and consequences of the doctrine of theistic evolution.

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Answers in Genesis is an apologetics ministry, dedicated to helping Christians defend their faith and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ effectively. We focus on providing answers to questions about the Bible—particularly the book of Genesis—regarding key issues such as creation, evolution, science, and the age of the earth.